Is the "Surkov propaganda" different from any other?

Propaganda can not be called propaganda, it immediately disavows it. This word means the suggestion to the broad masses of ideas and ideas, preferable to the ruling elite of any society.

Ministry of truth

In one of the fantastic novels of J. Orwell, the Ministry of Truth is featured. That's exactly what the department should be called, which inspires the people with how it should think. At the same time, neither the social structure of the state, nor the degree of its authoritarianism in our time, do not matter. The technology of suggestion has a universal psychological basis, and the greatest successes have been achieved by those countries that are trying to look the most democratic. Very interesting is the type of agitation, which received the nickname "Surkov's propaganda." "Twitter" is full of notes and comments indignant users, outraged by the words and actions of Vladislav Surkov, presidential aide and ideologist of "sovereign democracy." What is he so distinguished in front of the authorities and what is his fault before the liberal-minded public?

Ashkhorov and his book

The largest and most scientific exposure was, thanks to his book of the same name, the philosopher Andrei Ashkarov. "Surkov's propaganda" became the topic of his research in the socio-cultural aspect. At the same time, it is allocated in some special direction, which has a sharply outlined Russian specificity. The general meaning of literary work is that when creating public opinion, some special technologies are used, as a result of which a large part of the population turns out to be a zombie mass, obediently voting for a totalitarian government and a national leader. The book draws an analogy with the Soviet agitprop, actively using documentary sources to achieve the desired effect, making it on the edge of art, actually making the selection of the chronicle in such a way that the truth completely evaporated. Indeed, by bringing in the right order the appropriate pictures, you can inspire the broad masses with the right thoughts, but is it really unique in this regard "Surkovskaya propaganda"?

The experience of the Soviet agitprop

Than people on average read less, the easier it is to influence their consciousness. Unfortunately, in this, Russia is gradually approaching "developed Western democracies", but technologies developed for manipulating public opinion adopted there still fail. During the existence of the Union agitprop worked simply and reliably. The news was presented in the right aspect, the chronicle of the hard life of the foreign workers and peasants confirmed the general thesis about the advantages of socialism. It was then that citizens of the USSR in general and Russians in particular are accustomed to assess the information that is given to them critically. Therefore, it is not necessary to expect that the "Surkov propaganda", using, in general, old Soviet technologies, will be an effective tool for influencing the thinking of the masses. Something else was needed, a new one, and preferably with a real basis. And it was found, and beyond the borders of our homeland.

International situation

More than two decades after the collapse of the communist system, the consciousness of Russians has undergone significant changes. The euphoria, caused by the illusion of the omnipotence of democratic Western values in their American understanding, has passed. Since 1991, there have been a number of events that gave a clear understanding that countries that consider themselves a bulwark of freedoms in the international arena are pursuing an aggressive policy aimed at respecting only their own economic interests and not caring about the fate of the "liberated" peoples. At the same time, the media in these states are so limited in expressing alternative views that no "Surkov propaganda" can compare with them. Contrary to obvious facts, countries are declared outcasts, sanctions are imposed against unruly people, conclusions are drawn about the guilt or the truth of the parties without any analysis of the situation, from which one can draw a logical conclusion about the biased creation of public opinion. In this regard, the desire to isolate itself from all this flow is seen as quite logical, having created its own democratic system, which V. Surkov designated by the word "sovereign". For this opinion, he became a target for liberal criticism.

So what's the difference?

There is no doubt that A. Ashkarov tried very hard, choosing arguments in favor of the main idea of his book "Surkov's propaganda. Short course ". Efforts have been crowned with success, work has become a bestseller, and in its revelatory power, few publications of recent years can compare with this opus. Bold analogies, the use of "Putin's agitprop" technologies for the mass introduction of the right thoughts at the subcortex level of the brain, the progressive methods used by the "authoritarian regime" - all this is. The only weak point of the book is that the reader is not clear after reading it, what exactly is the "Surkov propaganda" from any other. After all, if the state does not pursue its own political line, in particular through the media, it is doomed to the fact that the minds of its population are dominated by foreign "puppeteers". Unfortunately, there are examples, and not far behind you need to go ...